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I See story, Page 5A
I 70th Year - No. 278 (;( d Morning! It's Friday August 1 J, 1978 2 Sections - 18 Pages - 15 Cents I
Cardinals9 choice
for a new pope
remains nivsterv
I VATICAN CITY ( UPI) Although
the conclave of cardinals who will
I choose the next pope does not open for
two weeks, princes of the church
I arriving for the funeral of Pope Paul VI
I have already begun the awesome task
I of selecting one of their number to step
into the shoes of the fisherman.
I High Vatican sources say-- the for--
thcoming conclave on Aug. 25 will be
one of the most wide- ope- n in recent
; history and that as many as 15 names
i already are being mentioned as
possible candidates.
But a papal conclave has none of the
campaigning of a political election.
Few seek the papacy and as often as
Insight
not, favorites going into the conclave
are cast aside once the cardinals lock
themselves in to vote.
The Italians have a saying that a man
who goes into a conclave a pope, will
emerge still a cardinal.
Vatican sources say the next pope is
not likely to be too old or too young, too
conservative or too liberal. And he is
not likely to come from a powerful
nation such as the United States,
France or Germany because of the
nationalist rivalries this could
engender in the church.
Although there is no actual cam-paigning
at the conclave, this is not to
say that a great deal of politicking does
not go on, both before and during the
conclave. Cardinals will throw their
weight behind the colleague they
believe most clearly identifies with
their views.
Unless an obvious candidate appears
when the conclave opens Aug. 25 and is
named by unanimous " acclamation,"
the next Pope is likely to emerge in a
series of votes that will gradually
narrow the field over the course of two
or three days or longer if a deadlock
occurs.
Because two eligible voters are ill
and 15 are disqualified by being over 80
years old, no more than 113 of the 130- mem- ber
college of cardinals will enter
the conclave.
Still, it will be the biggest conclave in
history and the one with the smallest
proportion of Italians ( 27), a little less
than a quarter. Fifty- nin- e of the voting
cardinals come from Third World
developing countries.
One of the main questions will be
whether to continue the tradition of
centuries and elect another Italian.
As Cardinal John Carberry of St.
Louis said: " The Italians have been at
this job for years and understand the
Church in a worldwide context."
An Italian is more likely to know how
to get things done in the Roman Curia,
the- - church bureaucracy that so
exasperated John XXm that he would
shrug and say, " I'm only the Pope."
And coming from a country with only
a short history of nationhood and a long
history of humanism, an Italian is
thought to be less likely to be distracted
by nationalistic concerns.
If the electors decide they want to
continue in the tradition of Pope Paul,
then Cardinal Sebastiano Baggio, 65,
emerges as a strong candidate.
Baggio, head of the Vatican depart-ment
that oversees the world's bishops,
was one of Paul's inner circle. He is a
moderate, polished diplomat who spent
many years in Latin America.
Like Paul, Baggio has progressive
views on human rights and social
problems, but he would he likely to be
moderate or conservative on purely
church matters.
Because things have tended to slide in
the last years of Paul's reign, the
cardinals may decide they need an
efficient administrator capable of
keeping the church on the rails, laying
down toe line on dogma and restoring
the Vatican's finances.
JnUas case, Cardinal Paolo Sertoli,
69, might be the man.
Another long- tim- e diplomat, most
recently as nuncio ( ambassador) to
France, Bertoli could attract the votes
of both the conservatives who support
Cardinal Pericle Felici and a large part
of the center, as well as the French.
Cardinal Giovanni Benelli, who was
made a church prince last year and
sent to Florence as archbishop after a
career as Paul's chief Vatican ad-ministrator,
also has a reputation of
ruthless efficiency, but he is not
universally liked.
Another outstanding Italian can-didate
the favorite of the London
bookmakers is Cardinal Sergei
Pignedoli, another of Paul's men who
has made friends all over the world in a
lifetime of indefatigable travel as head
of the Roman Catholic missions and
most recently as chairman of the
secretariat of Non- Believe- rs.
Some Vatican experts say there is the
greatest chance in centuries that a non- Itali- an
might be chosen. The last
foreign Pope was Dutchman Handrian
VI, who was elected in 1522. He was
booed by the Roman crowds on his
election and survived for little more
than a year.
A foreign candidate would probably
need to have close links with the Roman
curia.
Such a man is Cardinal Jean
Wiliebrands, 69, of the Netherlands,
who has spent much of his career in
Rome. He is one of the architects of the
Christian Unity movement and has
shown skill in placating the difficult
church in Holland since he became
archbishop of Utrecht -- Hadrian's job
before becoming pope.
Cardinal Franz Koenig of Vienna,, the
church's top . expert on atheism is
another strong contender, according to
Vatican sources.
Koenig's age, 73, makes him an ideal
transitional candidate like John. His
intellectual abilities, grasp of
languages . and deep study of
materialism would enable him to come
to grips with the problems of the
modern world.
ROTO j w KefthA- Myer- s
Vernon Reinneck, of Mascoutah, Hi., may appear to be, doing
stunts on top of this water tower near Lake St. Louis, Mo. Actually,
Reinneck has just completed painting the tower and is preparing to
return to the ground. All equipment that can't be dropped from the
tower is lowered through its center.
Town aids child's fight for life
By Howard Rea
Mlssotaian staff writer
Eleven- year- o- ld Daniel Wilcoxson of
Harrisburg will undergo a bone-- .
marrow transplant Thursday at
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
Center in New York City. Daniel has
acute leukemia.
His 13- year-- old brother, Mark, will be
the donor of the marrow. Mark and two
sisters, Peggy, 22, and Pat, 20, were
, tested to determine who would be the
I donor.
Mark and bis father win fly to New
York on Sunday or Monday to prepare
, for. the operation, in wMch bone '
V
marrow will be extracted from several
parts of Mark's body and infused into
Daniel's circulation system, Barbara
Mullins, pediatric nurse oncologist at
the University Medical Center, said.
A year ago, Daniel, an active 10- year- o- ld,
was found to have acute leukemia,
a blood disease. On July 18 he was Down
to the New York, hospital for the
transplant after various treatments at
the University Medical Center had
failed to arrest the disease.
Ms. Mullins said Daniel is in good
spirits and is responding well to
treatment On Aug. 1 he was moved to a
Laminar airflow room, a special
sterile room, to undergo treatments to
make him as bacteria- fre- e as possible.
This will reduce the chances of in-fection,
she said.
When the high cost ( 955,000 to $ 100,000
of the operation became known,
Harrisburg Baptist Church set up a
" Daniel Wilcoxson Fund" to help the
family pay.
The church has been paying for room
and board for Daniel's mother and
ether members of the family while they
are in New York.
Three fundraising activities have
been planned, says Charlotte Perry,
. coonhnxtor of the fund The Harrisburg
Little League Association is sponsoring
an ice- crea- m social Cram 4 pan. to 8
p. m. Sunday at the Old School Yard in
Harrisburg. A drawing will be held at 7
p. m. for prizes.
A benefit dance will be held Sept 2 at
the VFW Hall in Harrisburg. Music will
be provided by the Outlaws. Also, items
donated by local citizens wiU be on sale
at a PTA- spoosor- ed rummage sale and
auction Sept 22 at the Old School Yard
in Harrisburg. The rummage sale will
be from 8 a. m. to 4 p. m. and the auction
will start at 8 p. m.
Contributions should be sent to:
Daniel Wilcoxson Fund, Commercial
Trust Co., Fayette, Mo. 65248. For
further information, call Charlotte
Perry at 68S- 38Z- S in Hanisburg.
Parents told
money woes
By Leslie Anne Liedtka
Missoorian staff writer
Due to severe financial difficulties,
Woodhaven Learning Center has
notified 54 parents they will have to
withdraw their children if the state
doesn't agree to provide financing for
the center.
Since opening in 1964, the center has
never recovered the full cost of its care.
Now Woodhaven is operating under
such a deficit that H. B. " Tommy"
Tomlin, center administrator, says it is
imperative that it " balance the
budget"
The center currently provides care
for 217 residents that range in age from
2 to 64, with the majority of these
severely retarded. The center also
provides care for the profoundly,
moderate and mildly retarded.
Originally the center sent notices to
73 residents, 44 of whom are in the
center under contract with the Missouri
Department of Mental Health. The
department only pays $ 560 a year for
each of these residents. The center
spends $ 27.50 a day for each
severlyprofoundly retarded or young
child; $ 24.90 a day for . each teen- age- r
that is severly or moderately retarded
and $ 23.15 a day for each adult resident
( this adult figure includes educational
programs).
Eleven of the notices went to
residents who are " private pay." They
are in the center under their own initia- -
tive and pay for their care on a sliding
scale.
" Unfortunately," says Tomlin,
" Some of these private- pa- y families
still cannot afford the care. Over the
years they have accumulated large
bills. We used to just carry these
residents. Not good business. But now
we need to balance the budget."
The other notices were sent to out- of- sta- te
residents whose states have not
been paying the center enough to cover
their costs. However, Iowa, Illinois and
Minnosota have agreed to pay the
center the cost until they have time to
evaluate the program more thoroughly.
A non- prof- it, private institution, the
center has requested the state to pay its
costs. The state auditor will visit
Woodhaven Monday to investigate the
center's programs.
Currently the center is funded
through the Christian Church ( which
founded and built the center), gift
monies, the Department of Mental
Health and the Department of
Education, which pays the center $ 15 a
day for each child in school for 180 days.
The Department of Education will not
pay the center for summer school
programs. The center conducts classes
for 215 days.
Although Tomlin is optimistic that
the state will provide the necessary
funds, the 54 residents will have to go
elsewhere if it doesn't. One option open
to the residents would be the Marshall
State School- Hospita- l.
Property bond posted
for Sager's release
By Terry Schapira
Missoorian staff writer
Mark Sager learned late Thursday
afternoon he must spend at least one
more night in jail, although a judge had
earlier ordered him released on bond.
Boone County Circuit Court Judge
Frank Conley ruled the value of
property submitted on Sager's behalf
was sufficient to cover his $ 100,000
bond, but Sager's release Thursday was
snagged when the necessary docu-ments
could not be signed in time.
Sager, 17, was convicted of man-slaughter
June 1 by a Boone County
Circuit Court jury in the slaying of
schoolmate Julie Wittmeyer, 14. His
case is being appealed.
For the bond to be accepted by the
Circuit Court Office, however, Donald
Taylor, a Platte County neighbor of the
Sagers, and contributor of part of the
bond, had to sign the necessary forms.
As of 5: 30 p. m. Thursday Taylor had
not arrived at the courthouse.
Circuit Court Clerk Janet Davis said
Taylor's late arrival meant, " No bond
" tonight" for Sager. She said his
earliest release would be 8 a. m. today
when the Circuit Office would reopen.
If released today, Sager will go free
. until his appeal hearing is over.
After hearing the judge's decision, a
pleased and elated Sager left the
courtroom Thursday to await
finalization of his release. Sager's
parents, grandmother and her
husband, and neighbors left the
courtroom laughing and obviously
pleased with the verdict.
" He didn't kill anyone. He should be
out" Mrs. Sager said. The family
waited at the court house until 5: 30 for
the arrival of Taylor, who was flying in
from the Kansas City area.
Two licensed real estate persons
testified in court as to the appraised
value of the property offered for
Sager's bail, but there was marked
discrepancy in their estimates of the
property's value.
After Judge Conley's decision was
announced, Platte County Proscecuting
Attorney Greg Plumb said, " We had a
licensed appraiser and they ( the
Sagers) didn't. I agree with our ap-praiser.
He showed the truer real estate
value. If Sager should skip bond, the
land would be sold at a sheriffs sale.
White House encouraged by slower price increase
WASHINGTON ( UPI) Led by a
vast improvement in the food category,
wholesale prices in July rose at the
slowest rate in five months to renew
hope for progress in the nation's battle
against inflation, a government report
showed Thursday.
Food prices, particularly for meat,
declined 0.3 percent last month after
soaring by 1.1 percent in June, the
Labor Department said. Meat prices
dipped by 3.8 percent.
Overall wholesale prices rose 0.5
percent, the smallest increase since an
identical gain in March.
The drop in wholesale food prices was
the first since September- 19- 77 and
supported administration forecasts --
that food costs would taper off this
summer and fall from the rapidly rising
- rate of 1978' s first six months.
" We are encouraged by the im-provement
on the inflation front," said
White House press secretary Jody
Powell. " That's welcome news which
we had been expecting."
However, he added, " the rise still is
much too high. It's important to em-phasize
there is still a great deal to be
done to bring inflation down to a
tolerable level.".
Government analyists said the
moderation in wholesale costs may
begin to show up in retail stores during
the next two months.
" It's very nice to see food prices slow
down," said John Layng, a Labor
Department economist " The evidence
seems to be that the pressure on food
prices is coming off."
He noted, however, that non- foo- d
costs are continuing to increase at an
uncomfortable pace.
Wholesale prices excluding food rose
0.8 percent in July compared with 0.6
percent in June.
" If you're going to break the back of
inflation," he said, " you need more that
just food prices declines."
He said the food price drop was " no
fluke" and additional improvement
may be in evidence this fall.
Layng said wholesale prices for
crude goods those just starting to
work their way through the processing
system declined 0.6 percent and
crude food plunged by 2.5 percent, the
best performance since last August.
The administration is still officially
holding to its prediction that inflation at
the consumer level will add 7.2 percent
to the cost of living for all of 1978. This
estimate, however, is considered too
low by most private economists.
The producer price index the of-ficial
name for wholesale costs stood
at 195.9 last month. That means that
goods that cost $ 100 in 1967 were priced
at $ 195.90 in July.
In a recent report, the U. S. Depart-ment
of Agriculture said wholesale
prices declined in July for cattle, hogs,
corn, soybeans and lettuce. But
analysts said it may be September
before the decline shows up in super-markets.
Even with the decline, the depart-ment's
Crop Reporting Board said the
July prices were 19 percent higher than
they were a year earlier. In June, the
prices had hit their highest point in
nearly five years.
So far this year, the consumber
prices have risen at a rate of 11.2
percent if averaged over an entire
year.
Inside $& y
Abortions up
Americans accept abortion to
the point that there were nearly
three legal abortions for every 10
babies born in 1975, according to
a Census Bureau report released
Thursday. See the story on Page
2A.
Gourmet food
Ever wanted to be a gourmet
cook but thought you couldn't
afford it? The Gourmand club
recently enjoyed an elaborate $ 40
dinner for just $ 11 per couple.
See today's Weekend section.
-- la town- - "
N ..
today
7: 30 p. m. Missouri. Solar
Energy Association meeting, '
Room 1001, Engineering
Building, University.
7: 88 p. m. " Dear Liar,"
Maplewood Barn Theater, ;
Stephens College Warehouse.
7: 30 p. m. " 110 h the Shade,"
Maplewood Bam Theater, Nlfong
Park. y
8: 15 gun. " The Subject Was
Roses," -- Arrow Rock Lyceum
Theater.
Movie listings en Page ffi

I See story, Page 5A
I 70th Year - No. 278 (;( d Morning! It's Friday August 1 J, 1978 2 Sections - 18 Pages - 15 Cents I
Cardinals9 choice
for a new pope
remains nivsterv
I VATICAN CITY ( UPI) Although
the conclave of cardinals who will
I choose the next pope does not open for
two weeks, princes of the church
I arriving for the funeral of Pope Paul VI
I have already begun the awesome task
I of selecting one of their number to step
into the shoes of the fisherman.
I High Vatican sources say-- the for--
thcoming conclave on Aug. 25 will be
one of the most wide- ope- n in recent
; history and that as many as 15 names
i already are being mentioned as
possible candidates.
But a papal conclave has none of the
campaigning of a political election.
Few seek the papacy and as often as
Insight
not, favorites going into the conclave
are cast aside once the cardinals lock
themselves in to vote.
The Italians have a saying that a man
who goes into a conclave a pope, will
emerge still a cardinal.
Vatican sources say the next pope is
not likely to be too old or too young, too
conservative or too liberal. And he is
not likely to come from a powerful
nation such as the United States,
France or Germany because of the
nationalist rivalries this could
engender in the church.
Although there is no actual cam-paigning
at the conclave, this is not to
say that a great deal of politicking does
not go on, both before and during the
conclave. Cardinals will throw their
weight behind the colleague they
believe most clearly identifies with
their views.
Unless an obvious candidate appears
when the conclave opens Aug. 25 and is
named by unanimous " acclamation,"
the next Pope is likely to emerge in a
series of votes that will gradually
narrow the field over the course of two
or three days or longer if a deadlock
occurs.
Because two eligible voters are ill
and 15 are disqualified by being over 80
years old, no more than 113 of the 130- mem- ber
college of cardinals will enter
the conclave.
Still, it will be the biggest conclave in
history and the one with the smallest
proportion of Italians ( 27), a little less
than a quarter. Fifty- nin- e of the voting
cardinals come from Third World
developing countries.
One of the main questions will be
whether to continue the tradition of
centuries and elect another Italian.
As Cardinal John Carberry of St.
Louis said: " The Italians have been at
this job for years and understand the
Church in a worldwide context."
An Italian is more likely to know how
to get things done in the Roman Curia,
the- - church bureaucracy that so
exasperated John XXm that he would
shrug and say, " I'm only the Pope."
And coming from a country with only
a short history of nationhood and a long
history of humanism, an Italian is
thought to be less likely to be distracted
by nationalistic concerns.
If the electors decide they want to
continue in the tradition of Pope Paul,
then Cardinal Sebastiano Baggio, 65,
emerges as a strong candidate.
Baggio, head of the Vatican depart-ment
that oversees the world's bishops,
was one of Paul's inner circle. He is a
moderate, polished diplomat who spent
many years in Latin America.
Like Paul, Baggio has progressive
views on human rights and social
problems, but he would he likely to be
moderate or conservative on purely
church matters.
Because things have tended to slide in
the last years of Paul's reign, the
cardinals may decide they need an
efficient administrator capable of
keeping the church on the rails, laying
down toe line on dogma and restoring
the Vatican's finances.
JnUas case, Cardinal Paolo Sertoli,
69, might be the man.
Another long- tim- e diplomat, most
recently as nuncio ( ambassador) to
France, Bertoli could attract the votes
of both the conservatives who support
Cardinal Pericle Felici and a large part
of the center, as well as the French.
Cardinal Giovanni Benelli, who was
made a church prince last year and
sent to Florence as archbishop after a
career as Paul's chief Vatican ad-ministrator,
also has a reputation of
ruthless efficiency, but he is not
universally liked.
Another outstanding Italian can-didate
the favorite of the London
bookmakers is Cardinal Sergei
Pignedoli, another of Paul's men who
has made friends all over the world in a
lifetime of indefatigable travel as head
of the Roman Catholic missions and
most recently as chairman of the
secretariat of Non- Believe- rs.
Some Vatican experts say there is the
greatest chance in centuries that a non- Itali- an
might be chosen. The last
foreign Pope was Dutchman Handrian
VI, who was elected in 1522. He was
booed by the Roman crowds on his
election and survived for little more
than a year.
A foreign candidate would probably
need to have close links with the Roman
curia.
Such a man is Cardinal Jean
Wiliebrands, 69, of the Netherlands,
who has spent much of his career in
Rome. He is one of the architects of the
Christian Unity movement and has
shown skill in placating the difficult
church in Holland since he became
archbishop of Utrecht -- Hadrian's job
before becoming pope.
Cardinal Franz Koenig of Vienna,, the
church's top . expert on atheism is
another strong contender, according to
Vatican sources.
Koenig's age, 73, makes him an ideal
transitional candidate like John. His
intellectual abilities, grasp of
languages . and deep study of
materialism would enable him to come
to grips with the problems of the
modern world.
ROTO j w KefthA- Myer- s
Vernon Reinneck, of Mascoutah, Hi., may appear to be, doing
stunts on top of this water tower near Lake St. Louis, Mo. Actually,
Reinneck has just completed painting the tower and is preparing to
return to the ground. All equipment that can't be dropped from the
tower is lowered through its center.
Town aids child's fight for life
By Howard Rea
Mlssotaian staff writer
Eleven- year- o- ld Daniel Wilcoxson of
Harrisburg will undergo a bone-- .
marrow transplant Thursday at
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
Center in New York City. Daniel has
acute leukemia.
His 13- year-- old brother, Mark, will be
the donor of the marrow. Mark and two
sisters, Peggy, 22, and Pat, 20, were
, tested to determine who would be the
I donor.
Mark and bis father win fly to New
York on Sunday or Monday to prepare
, for. the operation, in wMch bone '
V
marrow will be extracted from several
parts of Mark's body and infused into
Daniel's circulation system, Barbara
Mullins, pediatric nurse oncologist at
the University Medical Center, said.
A year ago, Daniel, an active 10- year- o- ld,
was found to have acute leukemia,
a blood disease. On July 18 he was Down
to the New York, hospital for the
transplant after various treatments at
the University Medical Center had
failed to arrest the disease.
Ms. Mullins said Daniel is in good
spirits and is responding well to
treatment On Aug. 1 he was moved to a
Laminar airflow room, a special
sterile room, to undergo treatments to
make him as bacteria- fre- e as possible.
This will reduce the chances of in-fection,
she said.
When the high cost ( 955,000 to $ 100,000
of the operation became known,
Harrisburg Baptist Church set up a
" Daniel Wilcoxson Fund" to help the
family pay.
The church has been paying for room
and board for Daniel's mother and
ether members of the family while they
are in New York.
Three fundraising activities have
been planned, says Charlotte Perry,
. coonhnxtor of the fund The Harrisburg
Little League Association is sponsoring
an ice- crea- m social Cram 4 pan. to 8
p. m. Sunday at the Old School Yard in
Harrisburg. A drawing will be held at 7
p. m. for prizes.
A benefit dance will be held Sept 2 at
the VFW Hall in Harrisburg. Music will
be provided by the Outlaws. Also, items
donated by local citizens wiU be on sale
at a PTA- spoosor- ed rummage sale and
auction Sept 22 at the Old School Yard
in Harrisburg. The rummage sale will
be from 8 a. m. to 4 p. m. and the auction
will start at 8 p. m.
Contributions should be sent to:
Daniel Wilcoxson Fund, Commercial
Trust Co., Fayette, Mo. 65248. For
further information, call Charlotte
Perry at 68S- 38Z- S in Hanisburg.
Parents told
money woes
By Leslie Anne Liedtka
Missoorian staff writer
Due to severe financial difficulties,
Woodhaven Learning Center has
notified 54 parents they will have to
withdraw their children if the state
doesn't agree to provide financing for
the center.
Since opening in 1964, the center has
never recovered the full cost of its care.
Now Woodhaven is operating under
such a deficit that H. B. " Tommy"
Tomlin, center administrator, says it is
imperative that it " balance the
budget"
The center currently provides care
for 217 residents that range in age from
2 to 64, with the majority of these
severely retarded. The center also
provides care for the profoundly,
moderate and mildly retarded.
Originally the center sent notices to
73 residents, 44 of whom are in the
center under contract with the Missouri
Department of Mental Health. The
department only pays $ 560 a year for
each of these residents. The center
spends $ 27.50 a day for each
severlyprofoundly retarded or young
child; $ 24.90 a day for . each teen- age- r
that is severly or moderately retarded
and $ 23.15 a day for each adult resident
( this adult figure includes educational
programs).
Eleven of the notices went to
residents who are " private pay." They
are in the center under their own initia- -
tive and pay for their care on a sliding
scale.
" Unfortunately," says Tomlin,
" Some of these private- pa- y families
still cannot afford the care. Over the
years they have accumulated large
bills. We used to just carry these
residents. Not good business. But now
we need to balance the budget."
The other notices were sent to out- of- sta- te
residents whose states have not
been paying the center enough to cover
their costs. However, Iowa, Illinois and
Minnosota have agreed to pay the
center the cost until they have time to
evaluate the program more thoroughly.
A non- prof- it, private institution, the
center has requested the state to pay its
costs. The state auditor will visit
Woodhaven Monday to investigate the
center's programs.
Currently the center is funded
through the Christian Church ( which
founded and built the center), gift
monies, the Department of Mental
Health and the Department of
Education, which pays the center $ 15 a
day for each child in school for 180 days.
The Department of Education will not
pay the center for summer school
programs. The center conducts classes
for 215 days.
Although Tomlin is optimistic that
the state will provide the necessary
funds, the 54 residents will have to go
elsewhere if it doesn't. One option open
to the residents would be the Marshall
State School- Hospita- l.
Property bond posted
for Sager's release
By Terry Schapira
Missoorian staff writer
Mark Sager learned late Thursday
afternoon he must spend at least one
more night in jail, although a judge had
earlier ordered him released on bond.
Boone County Circuit Court Judge
Frank Conley ruled the value of
property submitted on Sager's behalf
was sufficient to cover his $ 100,000
bond, but Sager's release Thursday was
snagged when the necessary docu-ments
could not be signed in time.
Sager, 17, was convicted of man-slaughter
June 1 by a Boone County
Circuit Court jury in the slaying of
schoolmate Julie Wittmeyer, 14. His
case is being appealed.
For the bond to be accepted by the
Circuit Court Office, however, Donald
Taylor, a Platte County neighbor of the
Sagers, and contributor of part of the
bond, had to sign the necessary forms.
As of 5: 30 p. m. Thursday Taylor had
not arrived at the courthouse.
Circuit Court Clerk Janet Davis said
Taylor's late arrival meant, " No bond
" tonight" for Sager. She said his
earliest release would be 8 a. m. today
when the Circuit Office would reopen.
If released today, Sager will go free
. until his appeal hearing is over.
After hearing the judge's decision, a
pleased and elated Sager left the
courtroom Thursday to await
finalization of his release. Sager's
parents, grandmother and her
husband, and neighbors left the
courtroom laughing and obviously
pleased with the verdict.
" He didn't kill anyone. He should be
out" Mrs. Sager said. The family
waited at the court house until 5: 30 for
the arrival of Taylor, who was flying in
from the Kansas City area.
Two licensed real estate persons
testified in court as to the appraised
value of the property offered for
Sager's bail, but there was marked
discrepancy in their estimates of the
property's value.
After Judge Conley's decision was
announced, Platte County Proscecuting
Attorney Greg Plumb said, " We had a
licensed appraiser and they ( the
Sagers) didn't. I agree with our ap-praiser.
He showed the truer real estate
value. If Sager should skip bond, the
land would be sold at a sheriffs sale.
White House encouraged by slower price increase
WASHINGTON ( UPI) Led by a
vast improvement in the food category,
wholesale prices in July rose at the
slowest rate in five months to renew
hope for progress in the nation's battle
against inflation, a government report
showed Thursday.
Food prices, particularly for meat,
declined 0.3 percent last month after
soaring by 1.1 percent in June, the
Labor Department said. Meat prices
dipped by 3.8 percent.
Overall wholesale prices rose 0.5
percent, the smallest increase since an
identical gain in March.
The drop in wholesale food prices was
the first since September- 19- 77 and
supported administration forecasts --
that food costs would taper off this
summer and fall from the rapidly rising
- rate of 1978' s first six months.
" We are encouraged by the im-provement
on the inflation front," said
White House press secretary Jody
Powell. " That's welcome news which
we had been expecting."
However, he added, " the rise still is
much too high. It's important to em-phasize
there is still a great deal to be
done to bring inflation down to a
tolerable level.".
Government analyists said the
moderation in wholesale costs may
begin to show up in retail stores during
the next two months.
" It's very nice to see food prices slow
down," said John Layng, a Labor
Department economist " The evidence
seems to be that the pressure on food
prices is coming off."
He noted, however, that non- foo- d
costs are continuing to increase at an
uncomfortable pace.
Wholesale prices excluding food rose
0.8 percent in July compared with 0.6
percent in June.
" If you're going to break the back of
inflation," he said, " you need more that
just food prices declines."
He said the food price drop was " no
fluke" and additional improvement
may be in evidence this fall.
Layng said wholesale prices for
crude goods those just starting to
work their way through the processing
system declined 0.6 percent and
crude food plunged by 2.5 percent, the
best performance since last August.
The administration is still officially
holding to its prediction that inflation at
the consumer level will add 7.2 percent
to the cost of living for all of 1978. This
estimate, however, is considered too
low by most private economists.
The producer price index the of-ficial
name for wholesale costs stood
at 195.9 last month. That means that
goods that cost $ 100 in 1967 were priced
at $ 195.90 in July.
In a recent report, the U. S. Depart-ment
of Agriculture said wholesale
prices declined in July for cattle, hogs,
corn, soybeans and lettuce. But
analysts said it may be September
before the decline shows up in super-markets.
Even with the decline, the depart-ment's
Crop Reporting Board said the
July prices were 19 percent higher than
they were a year earlier. In June, the
prices had hit their highest point in
nearly five years.
So far this year, the consumber
prices have risen at a rate of 11.2
percent if averaged over an entire
year.
Inside $& y
Abortions up
Americans accept abortion to
the point that there were nearly
three legal abortions for every 10
babies born in 1975, according to
a Census Bureau report released
Thursday. See the story on Page
2A.
Gourmet food
Ever wanted to be a gourmet
cook but thought you couldn't
afford it? The Gourmand club
recently enjoyed an elaborate $ 40
dinner for just $ 11 per couple.
See today's Weekend section.
-- la town- - "
N ..
today
7: 30 p. m. Missouri. Solar
Energy Association meeting, '
Room 1001, Engineering
Building, University.
7: 88 p. m. " Dear Liar,"
Maplewood Barn Theater, ;
Stephens College Warehouse.
7: 30 p. m. " 110 h the Shade,"
Maplewood Bam Theater, Nlfong
Park. y
8: 15 gun. " The Subject Was
Roses," -- Arrow Rock Lyceum
Theater.
Movie listings en Page ffi